Stay on target

For too long the definition of “Game of the Year” has been unfairly narrow. How boring is it to see every website shower the same stale AAA games with praise at the end of each holiday season? So at Geek.com we’re doing what we can to put a stop to this in Game of the Year, a new column celebrating worthy alternative picks for the year’s greatest game regardless of genre, platform, year of release, or even quality. Here, any game can be Game of the Year!

What’s this? Two Game of the Year columns in one week? It’s a holiday miracle! And since this is the last time I’ll be sharing the best games of 2016 in the year 2016, I thought it’d be appropriate to actually run down what were, in my opinion, the ten best games of 2016. No jokes. No memes. This is serious, objective, games journalism. So let’s get started!

10. Pokemon Go

Considering how much traffic this game brought in Pokemon Go should be Geek.com’s game of the century. As a game, it’s far from perfect. It’s limited, the combat is painfully simplistic, and developer Niantic has been caught completely off-guard by the game’s massive success. But catching Pokemon in the real world is just so cool. Watching that fantasy become a worldwide phenomenon has been the most fascinating moment in gaming of this entire year.

9. Thumper

I already talked about Thumper in a previous game of the year column, but I have grown to appreciate it more since then. Once I started treating it less like a “music” rhythm game and more like a “noise” rhythm game it all snapped together a little better. Plus it’s one of the most intense and trippy virtual reality experiences you can have right now. What else are you playing on those big, pricey headsets?

8. Severed

Another game I’ve already written a little about, Severed was a rare, quality PlayStation Vita exclusive before moving to mobile, 3DS, and Wii U. Seeing DrinkBox Studios use its art prowess for something more serious than memes was a nice change of pace. Meanwhile, Zelda-style dungeon exploring pairs nicely with Infinity Blade touchscreen combat. To top it all off, the game is smart enough to end before it wears out its welcome.

7. Pokken Tournament

With Smash Bros. you’d think Nintendo wouldn’t need another fighting franchise. But Pokken Tournament is more than a double dip. Developed by the Tekken team, it combines the 3D fighting off that franchise (mostly) seamlessly with fighting on a 2D plane using controls surprisingly simple to learn but capable of EVO-level depth. Plus, the Pokemon themselves have never been more visually detailed.

6. Fire Emblem Fates

Fire Emblem Fates didn’t need to be three games and doesn’t justify it’ child soldier mechanic quite as well as its superior 3DS predecessor Fire Emblem Awakening. Still, the Fire Emblem fantasy tactics formula has basically been perfected. Customizing your lord and choosing between your goth knight family or cheery ninja family is great. Romancing your units to the point of marriage also remains the best feature ever put into a strategy game.

5. Overwatch

2016’s thirstiest shooter, Overwatch takes the stylish designs and varied play styles of a fighting game roster and applies them to a team-based first-person shooter. Add in Blizzard’s smart, meticulous approach to multiplayer balance and a welcoming atmosphere for players of all skill levels. The only thing missing is a single-player mode that actually makes use of all these great characters and lore.

4. Forza Horizon 3

They should make another Burnout Paradise. But until then, these Forza Horizon games will have to do. Fortunately, they’re pretty great! Forza Horizon 3 is the best yet. Racing around different Australian locales to expand your stupid car festival is fantastic. Racing against trains, planes, and other automobiles is tons of dumb fun. It’s gorgeous, too, especially on a high-end gaming PC but even on an Xbox One. Now we go back to waiting for a new Burnout.

3. Superhot

In a year full of great, unique shooters, Superhot’s hook is probably the most inventive. Time only moves when you do. So as you pump enemies full of your bullets, you’re skillfully weaving between theirs. It’s like John Wick meets Braid. The developers craft a ton of excellent puzzles with this idea, as well as a Fight Club-esque meta-narrative. The recent VR edition isn’t quite the same game, but it’s equally phenomenal.

2. Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 is the best Mirror’s Edge game in a year that also had the sequel to Mirror’s Edge. Double-jumping and wall-running and sprinting and sliding and all of the other buttery-smooth movement options just feel so profoundly satisfying. And that’s before you command a giant robot to stick you in its chest to increase your firepower. Obviously the multiplayer is on point, but the real highlight is the brief but brilliant single-player mode full of enough creativity to rival a Valve game.

1. Doom

There was no way a new Wolfenstein could be good. And then Wolfenstein: The New Order was great. There was no way a new Doom could be great. And then Doom was the best video game of 2016. This raucous romp through Hell emerged from its own years-long development hell to prove just how fresh and fantastic this elder statesman shooter franchise could be. I once called Doom “a shoot ‘em up that disemboweled an FPS and is running around in its bloody skin.” If that doesn’t get you excited, then I don’t know what else to tell you.

Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this column these past few months. Check back next year to read about the next Game of the Year!